U-17 stars challenged by senior NZ coach
Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni wants to see what the country’s history-making under17s have got.
With a place in next year’s World Cup in France secured last weekend, when his team won the Oceania Women’s Nations Cup, Sermanni has six months to finalise a 23-strong squad for the tournament.
As he begins to do so, he has laid down a challenge to the
under-17s who finished third at their
World Cup in Uruguay, becoming the first New Zealand team to win a medal at a Fifa event.
‘‘All these players who are performing well, whether they’re
under-17s or
under-20s, are definitely in the frame to make the national team,’’ said Sermanni, who will attend the World Cup draw in France this weekend.
‘‘If you look at my history in football, I’m not someone who’s frightened to put a younger player in the team if I think that player is good enough, and that will be the case here.
‘‘I want those under-17 players to not just be inspired by what they’ve done, but be motivated by what they’ve done, and come in and put pressure on me and the other players in the senior squad to make the World Cup.
‘‘That’s what I want to see, and if they’re good enough, they’ll be in the World Cup squad. It’s as simple as that.
‘‘The ones that are not quite ready yet, but who we think have got potential, they’ll be in and around the programme as well.’’
Sermanni said that challenge extended to under-20s players and also to senior players currently outside the Ferns squad.
Under-17 coach Leon Birnie said during the World Cup he believed there were players worth looking at.
‘‘I don’t want to speak on behalf of Tom but what I do feel is there are a number of players here that have really put their hand up to say: ‘Hey, you’re taking a squad of 21 to the World Cup and I deserve to be looked at.’
‘‘I think that’s a really positive and great space to be in, when you’ve got your under-17s saying don’t forget about us for your senior World Cup.’’
There are four players from the under-17 team more likely than others to be in the selection frame – two who have already played for the Football Ferns and two who have stepped up to
under-20 level. Goalkeeper Anna Leat has been a fixture in Ferns squads since the start of 2017 and will surely return to the fold after missing the Nations Cup campaign while making history in Uruguay.
Striker Maggie Jenkins is the other player to have made her senior debut, getting a handful of minutes off the bench against Thailand late last year. With experienced strikers Amber Hearn and Hannah Wilkinson both recovering from knee injuries, she is likely to get a chance to impress, at the very least.
The others are midfielder Gabi Rennie, who was placed on standby ahead of the Ferns’ match against Japan in June, but not required, and defender Aneka Mittendorff, who played every minute of August’s Under-20 World Cup.
Two players have previously gone to a senior World Cup the year after playing at the Under-17 World Cup – Daisy Cleverley in
2015 and Katie Bowen in 2011. The Ferns were eager followers of the under-17s while at the Nations Cup and Sermanni said the historic run had been a great inspiration.
‘‘That achievement, when you consider the preparation and the resources that our girls have compared to some of the powerhouses, it’s an absolutely unbelievable result.
‘‘Things can happen in tournaments. It can be strange, you can get on a run, your confidence can be high, the group just comes together perfectly at the right time, and it’s surprising what can happen.
‘‘Seeing what the under-17s have done has certainly given a boost to our senior players,’’ Sermanni said.
‘‘I want those under-17 players to not just be inspired by what they’ve done, but be motivated by what they’ve done.’’
Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni, above